Naming the boat……Eddie? Eddie the double eagle? Eddie-Eddie? I dunno…..the boat colour is a burnt-orange over a white hull. The Mfg’er was/is Double Eagle a couple of decades ago. So, Old carrot-top’? Beagle? Boaty McFloaty?
Lately we have gone with ‘food’ names like Wasabi (green boat) and Aubergine (purple) but this colour orange is not even really orange. It’s burnt orange…..no, not mustard…more like baby poop…I dunno.
I may just call it Leo after our new grandson. Leo-the-boat.
The point? Our new Leo is good. Leo-the-new-grandson is great and Leo-the-new-boat is also pretty good. We came up the BIG island, launched it at the closest boat ramp, boosted the dead battery and ‘vroom’. Ran great. Then Sal went up-the-little-island in the truck and I left the boat ramp for the high (but calm) seas and met her at our usual disembarkation point. Then we loaded it up and pointed it home. Boat purred and we fairly flew across the water. We must have loaded up a half-ton of stuff (mostly food and luggage) and headed home on a fine day not knowing what was in store for us. Damned if it didn’t get up and plane again! Loaded heavy, we flew across the dead calm seas in the bright and beautiful sunshine to the welcoming sight of our gorgeous beach and much-missed home.
GAWD, I Love this place!
Nothing like spending a few months in a tropical country with millions-upon-millions of people to fully appreciate home, I’ll tell ya. Gawd!! I love this place!
But there is so much to do. And so much to write about. Where to start?
The house weathered the winter well. Thank God! Even my solar array was still standing. Basically, we are good. NOT entirely but almost. The water pump is on the fritz. I’ve trouble-shot and know what is wrong (pressure switch gone wonky) but I do not think I can fix it so I may have to buy another switch some time – next time – in town….. In the meantime, we turn it on, use the water and then turn it off. It won’t shut off on it’s own.
Not a big deal.
Ordered the barge back for this coming month. New fuel tank and a lot of gardening supplies on the way. Probably a ton of stuff this time. GAWD, I love the barge!
Locals welcomed us back. “Wanna go fishin?” “Wanna go see bears?” “Wanna go trail-riding”?
I wanna nap. And then eventually, maybe, get to the list of chores. And then, maybe later…some time in the distant future….. go have fun. Did I mention I am now 70? Is there fun-after-70?
Is there energy after 70?
We’ll see.
But first, we have to see if there is an alive Dave-after-chores. Judging from my enthusiasm to ‘get on with it’ (the chores list). I may not be free for funnin’ anytime soon. ‘You guys want to pencil in a date for trail-riding sometime after my 75th?’
Oh, I have not forgotten Trump. Or dick-head Doug Ford. Marine le Pen, Putin, China, the economy, philosophy, Me, too or other hot topics that bubble up toil and trouble in my head all the time. I’ll just save all that for when I have some excess energy to burn.
Maybe some time after my 75th?
Our Off the Grid Home 
Dave; So good to have you home. Love your humour and outlook on life. Looking forward to your satire on Doug Ford, I’m sure he will offer plenty of opportunity to vent some steam.
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Thanks, Art. REALLY good to be home. REALLY, REALLY. Doug is not half as funny as his deceased bro but seriously, how mad-crazy does the crowd have to get to appoint him as their leader? Same kinda goofs who chose Trump? How does a liar and cheater make for a good leader?
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The PC Conservatives say, “No carbon tax.” No CT blows a four billion dollar hole in a balanced budget. PCs want a balanced budget, so want will they cut? These are the Progressive Conservatives? Progressive?
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Always remember: the name of the party means nothing. The name is only branding. They say progressive rather than small minded because progressive sounds better. Who’s gonna vote for the United bigots? The Hateful right? Those dickheads aren’t even conservative. Conservative is not a bad word but they have made it so. I, myself, am conservative in the dictionary sense but NOT the political perversion sense of the word.
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Not to mention Rex Tillerson. It seems Mr Ump, said, ‘Me no a moron’ and was muttering about IQs. Of course the White House is not in disarray.
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Well, to be fair….it is hard for the Whitehouse to be in disarray when it is empty. And therein may lie the solution. Just lock ol’ carrot-head in there by himself (without the nuke buttons) for two more years and have MacDonalds deliver his meals. Melania won’t care. Who would? I say, “lock ‘im up!”
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Sing after me. The hills are alive, with the sound of Day – ave…
That movie was political too. Just can’t get away from politics.
In Aussieland, when the CT was removed, emissions went up. So did the deficit. Go figure.
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The international dateline is no longer putting you first. One of us should move. Let’s all move to NZ. Better chance of survival….hmmmmm…..fifty readers…..buy a 500 acre sheep station…..all of us OTG….could work…….
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NZ does sound attractive. It’s not the first time I’ve thought about it. All those American right-wing businessmen are buying are vast tracts there, so they will probably stuff it up.
My Kiwi friend tells me I would have to learn Kiwi slang first. They have jandals there. You may know them as flip-flops. Aussies call ’em thongs…. How much trouble could I get into.
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Check out the NZ movie, “Hunt for the Wilder People”. Bloody funny.
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Saw it. Loved it. Great kid.
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IS 78 TOO OLD TO APPLY? AGE IS JUST A NUMBER!
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78 is NOT too old to apply. You mean for NZ and the sheep station?
Old age is just a number but stiff, old and sore is a state-of-being. I am currently working my old vacationed muscles back into ‘work-mode’ and they are protesting. Still, it is that way every year. Two weeks from now, I’ll be fine.
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Welcome home Dave and Sal. See you around sometime soon. I ‘ll be heading home in a few days myself. Know what you mean about getting home, though you wouldn’t know that feeling if you never went away…
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Spring has sprung and the snowbirds return. We have it good. Now….about those chores…..
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I know what you mean about the feeling of coming home after being away. Glad things are in pretty good shape. – Margy
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